multiply
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to make many or manifold; increase the number, quantity, etc., of.
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Arithmetic. to find the product of by multiplication.
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to breed (animals).
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to propagate (plants).
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to increase by procreation.
verb (used without object)
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to grow in number, quantity, etc.; increase.
- Synonyms:
- mushroom, grow, proliferate
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Arithmetic. to perform the process of multiplication.
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to increase in number by procreation or natural generation.
adverb
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in several or many ways; in a multiple manner; manifoldly.
verb
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to increase or cause to increase in number, quantity, or degree
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(tr) to combine (two numbers or quantities) by multiplication
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(intr) to increase in number by reproduction
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To perform multiplication on a pair of quantities.
Other Word Forms
- multipliable adjective
- self-multiplied adjective
- self-multiplying adjective
- unmultiplied adjective
- unmultiplying adjective
Etymology
Origin of multiply1
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English multiplien, from Old French multiplier, from Latin multiplicāre; multi-, ply 2
Origin of multiply2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Singly charged ions could escape, while multiply charged ions, which are often more biologically important, remained trapped.
From Science Daily • Mar. 25, 2026
It was an intense and disorienting time if you were simply a fan of the music; multiply that by approximately a gigaton if you were anywhere adjacent.
From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026
“We start to draw conclusions,” says Sammut, “whether that’s a golden pattern we want to multiply across their peers or whether it’s an anti-pattern that we want to coach our way out of.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
But, while nearly all cell cultures died quickly in the lab, those taken from Ms Lacks continued to multiply and didn't age, making them "immortal".
From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026
“You were the one who said if we believe in something greater than our lives, then our voices will only multiply, even if we are dead. We can’t stop now.”
From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.